Surprise police: Dad forced kids to drink alcohol, threw them in pool

A Surprise man was arrested on Monday night after reportedly forcing his children to drink alcohol and then throwing in the pool to teach them a lesson, police said.

Police arrived at the residence in the 13500 block of West Cottonwood Street around 7:30 p.m. after a neighbor reported hearing screaming and crying. Upon arriving, officers heard someone crying loudly in the backyard and saw 32-year-old Kristopher Harvey come out of the house, police said.

Harvey appeared to be intoxicated and had trouble standing up and speaking clearly, police said. His girlfriend, 49-year-old Karen Edwards, told him his sons, ages 12 and 13, drank some of his alcohol last week and he was trying to teach them a lesson, police said.

According to the report, officers entered the house and found the boys in their underwear crying and screaming. Both of the boys were intoxicated and vomiting, police said.

One of the boys told police that Harvey put them in the backyard and started forcing them to take shots of hard liquor. Harvey refused to let the boys back into the house until they finished taking shots, police said.

Police said Harvey then began throwing the boys into the pool while intoxicated, at which point the neighbor heard the noise and called police.

The boys were visiting Harvey from California where they live with their grandmother, police said. Child Protective Services was contacted and both children were transported to an area hospital for treatment.

Harvey taken to the Fourth Avenue Jail on supicion of two counts of child abuse. Edwards was issued a criminal citation for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.